Volcanic Island : Lanzarote

The First Look

 Volcanic Crater From  Distance at Timanfaya .

When I first landed in UK , I was like that new  kid on the block ,  super excited  about everything visual .

Every scene, road, colonial kind hut houses, country side, lush green woods, stone paths looked picture perfect.

I used to take out my camera at every scenic siting. It took some months for landscape beauty to sink in and look part of “normal”.

And hence, when planning a vacation , the said experience triggered one to explore a different side of Spain, which otherwise is popular for its bull fights, architectural marvel, medieval castles & Madrid-Barcelona.

PS0: All above is build-up, the real reason -> This was the only place in Europe to have higher temperatures (>20) in March ;) . Like other Brits we too were dying for Sun, you see.

PS1: I told you, one is incapable of writing kuchi koo , mushy  travel posts.

PS2: Growing older makes you blunt nai ?

PS3: But one did research a lot to zero –in on this Canary island and choose it over Barcelona and other cute looking Spanish contenders. Mind It!!

Now, I leave the readers to breathe taking mars -like views ahead.

With travel fact file in the end (yes one wants you to go through to the whole post  for that)

PS4: Btw, loved Spanish people!!they are vibrant, exuberant and extremely friendly lot.

Mars Like Lanscape
Of 18th Century Volcanic Erruption Remains At Timanfaya

Up And Close With Crater
Timanfaya National Park 

Island Hoping.
Lobos Island ,On The Way To Fuerteventura 

The Meta Data:

Where?

Lanzarote, Canary Islands , Spain.

Why?

While each island of the canary group offers a unique experience,

This was chosen for it having volcanic craters and its proximity to Fuerteventura, neighboring island offering white sand - turquoise blue beaches.

When?  

 If you reside in northern part of the globe, this is best budget place to escape shivery winter months.

 Spring, Autumn – best time, also avoids crowd.

 Summer – hot but not too hot.

 Winters – Peak season.

Things To Do?

• Timanfaya National park for up and close look at volcanic craters.
• Black and secluded Beach: Papagayo
• Island hoping – Ferry trip to nearby island Fuerteventura & Lobos for white beaches and turquoise blue water.
• For adrenaline junkies – Scuba diving, Snorkeling, Para gliding, Surfing.
• And for usual tourist stuff – island tour, resort offerings and street shopping.

At Adjoining Island .
Fuerteventura

Sandune Beaches
Corralejo

While Driving Along the Island.

Neela Aasaman

 Seagull On Hunt

           When one runs out of words , photos come to rescue. Pictures from Felixstowe beach , UK 

When Seagull(s) Are On Hunt They Are Not Alone

Elderly Couple Enjoying Their Weekend With Their Curious Dogs 

Jonathan Livingston Seagull , Almost!

"Hello Sea"- Teaches,  A Mother

On a poetic note :

Laherain bole kinaron se,
Tu bhi toh kabhi milney aa.

                       -Yours truly.

And I Stop By To Say Hi

My first cycling expedition.

Through Zig- Zag Terrain

Place      : Ullswater , Lake district , UK
Distance : 22km ( does this sound easy ??)
Terrain   : Mountain  ( Ahh this is the catch!! )
Level     : Medium challenge

I am not good at travel posts(errr i am also not sure what posts i am good at , as it been ages i stumbled upon here)so  keeping it to the point.

Cylcling Route

Hire bike at Pooley bridge ( other end of the lake)> Follow U path through the hills  > Finish  at Glenridding ( start point of the lake) > Take streamer at Glenridding back to Pooley bridge  and return the bikes.

On shores of a smaller lake on the way

He even had to carry my cycle for a while. Did i not say build stamina

Lost Our Ways

Scottish and super expensive hotel on the shores of the Ullswater lake

Only cycling i did all my life was to and fro to my maths tuition eons back. So this was a challenge . However mountain biking is not for the weak hearts .One needs loads of  stamina, gear changing tricks , right clothing and what not. Also this was an unknown route , so using compass and map was required. Though i tricked the actual route for more downhill paths .

Lesson learnt:-
1. Always optimize the timing , we almost missed our last streamer to the port.
2. Wear right clothing i.e padded cycling pants (else everything down under aches!!), helmet, gloves and windcheater is a must  
3. You will fall , no matter what , so be prepared for some wounds.
4. Have a sense of direct to use maps and compass. Sign boards might not be handy always :P

PS0: Butt aching .
PS1: Have used "i" instead of  referring oneself  in third person "author". hmmmm
PS2: Mind doesn't wander anymore, but to create ...wandering is a must , is it?
PS4: Ok , i just read the post. It's  as bland as English food , so enjoy the pics :D

127.0.0.1

On every home visit mom being mom complained about my weight gain/loss .This time after some physical examination , calculations and scrutinised stares she concluded ...i have lost HEIGHT !!

I still can't stop loling about it . Mom being mom made me stood against the wall and marked the scale , which was 2 inches less than the original mark ( now i have no clue when did she mark the original ..to my surprise i see ,3 more marks -dad's , bro's and mom's height herself) . I think she is taking evolution too seriously .

Parliamentary visits :

 Apart from that i went in search of Agarsen Ki Baoli and ended up in Jantar Mantar ...nevertheless will hunt that step-well some other time

Jantar Mantar-1



Yantra Mandir, Delhi





Ram Yantra at Jantar Mantar, Delhi

Oh yes //TODO - travel in Delhi metro ( i know this should have happen long back ---but then they say: its never too late and der aye durust aye etcetra )

PS0: No , author did not loose height

Jaipur Rendezvous – another evening in palace

PS0: Post found in Gmail drafts dated Nov, 2009.

PS1: Yes , author needs distraction.

Third party wedding venues can also be travel destinations due to below said reasons

a)you do the noble act of attending the wedding

b)The leaves get approved easily by all parties.

c)You get to meet the myriad relatives and friends

And in the back-drop , if the rituals are already carried out at respective natives of bride and groom sides , time permits you to travel and explore venue beyond the pandals.

The author headed  ethnic Rajasthan’s heart –pink city- Jaipur for cousin’s nuptials

Wikipedia says :

(I will not copy paste the content , interested readers rather go there and read)

Author says :

Minus the shopping , the main sites i.e the killas and palaces can be covered in one day.

• Hawa Mahal

• Amber Fort

• Nahargarh Fort

• City Palace

• Jal Mahal

We started with Jal Mahal> Amber Fort> Nahargarh >City palace >Hawa mahal

Jal mahal located in the center of the lake has not much to offer , 15 minutes is more than enough and is on the way to Amber

Amber is "THE" palace to invest both time , camera and money.

2 hours is the time which includes an elephant ride to reach the top.

The rugged exteriors wrapped the most ethinic and rich and intricate interiors

• The places can be covered in 1 day , shopping can take another half.

• Save all the time for Amber and City palace.

• Other killas are mostly ruins .

City Palace

Corridors of Amber -Secret Passage

Seesh Mahal

Ganesh Dwar -Amber Fort

Princess's View from Amber Fort

PS2: Yes , it’s an incomplete draft  and  Author sees no reason to extend it .Have a nice day

An Evening In Palace

Bangalore Palace -replica of Windsor Castle, England

Wikipedia says:


It was built by Rev. Garrett. The construction of the palace was started in 1862 and completed in 1944. In 1884, it was bought by the Maharaja of Mysore, Chamaraja Wodeya.Now owned by the current scion of the Mysore royal family, Srikanta Datta Narsimharaja Wadiyar. The sprawling grounds surrounding the palace are used for holding public events including music concerts.

Author says (Log) :

1. Ticket charges :100 Rs
2. Camera :500 Rs , Video camera :1000 Rs
3. Camera is not allowed inside the premises without ticket.
4. Ask for discount , especially if you are paying for clicking .
5. Guides will accompany you and information provided might be close to accuracy but not 100% correct.Actually , it was misleading :P
6.  The King and Queen arenas are the most recherché.
7 .The exotic accessories -from Chinese wall papers to Italian crockery set , lavish wooden do –all fall in  “imported” category or are gifted by foreign royal acquaintances.
8. Don’t be surprised with the numerous paintings hanging around .They are result of kingly avocations.
9. Some part of the palace is still used as summer home by Wadiyar kins and is not open to public .
10.Readers , now enjoy a free regal view

PS : Credit for first pic goes to Arti and rest are the outcome of my 500 Rs worth clicks.

The Entrance Of Bangalore Palace

Italian Mirrors and Queens Arena

 

Kings Arena

The Internal Decors

The Hunted Elephant's Furniture and Coffee Machine

A Tri-pod chair

Paintings and Wallpaper

Remains of  Seating Area 

The Tough Exteriors

Backyard

Backyard Interior

Thus , The Evening Ends 

Western Karnataka Trip

 

At Foot of Jog Falls

When : 18- 21st Sep 2009

Who  : A gang of 12 enthusiasts.

Original Plan

Day1 : Bangalore( 4pm) to Shimoga(10pm)
Day2 : Shimoga (7am) – Jog Falls(9:30am-12:30am) – Murudeshwara – (2pm-3pm) – Kollur (5pm-6:30pm) – Kamalashile (8:00pm)
Day3 : Kamalashile (1:00pm) – Udipi(3:00pm-4:00pm) – Agumbe (5pm-6:30pm) – Sringeri (8pm)
Day4 : Sringeri(7:00am) – Kudremukh (9:00am – 12:00am) – Bangalore (9:30pm)

Old Railway Tracks at Kudremukh

 Jog Falls while descending down 1388 steps

  

Actual , deviated plan

Day1 : We reached at 12 midnight instead.
Day2 : Skipped Murudeshwara and Kollur and decided to stay at Jog falls .
Day3 : Skipped Agumbe and visited Malpe beach on public demand.
Day4 : All bones Intact and reached Bangalore .

 
 
 
 
 
              

 Malpe Beach ,Udupi->

Perfect Camping  Site At Kudremukh

Sharadamba temple, Sringeri

PS0: Not crazy enough  to remember the exact timing and minute details after traveling for three consecutive days in a minivan and visiting public loos .So deal with the brief-point-wise info. Else Google.

Random facts from the trip

1. 13kms prior to Shimoga we landed with flat tire.

2. At Jog falls the water appeared lesser than Hogenakkal .But the sheer height of 900 ft compensated it all.

3. It took us 1388 steps plus 30 minutes of rock climbing to reach near  foot of the fall. All that sweat was worth it.

4. My way up left me dehydrated resulting in puking. Note :Do not drink nimbu-pani or lots of pani in one take when exhausted. Sipping in intervals is advisable.

5. kamalashile was my first encounter with caves ,cave bats and spring water.

6. Kudremukh is a place worth revisit and deserves camping .Apparently 1 tiger from here added to that 1411 count.

7. Anthony , our driver was a die hard MJ fan . 2hours of MJ music , live shows , Billie Jean , thriller kept the DVD player and us busy during the journey .

8. Later Jane bhi do yaroo , Chaltee ka naam gaddi , Bombay to Goa entertained us . You know the usual Dumbsy(here I was made to act for 40 movies!) , Antakshri ,Guess the personality, were not enough to cover long travel-couch-potato hours.

9. The journey indeed fulfilled the nature thirst of the quest.

10. Continue to admire the photos.

The Hilly Landscape of Kudremukh

Kudremukh Fencing

Kamalashile Caves , Spot the Bats

PS1: Composing travel logs induces boredom in me.
PS2: The remedy is to post scenic pics along.
PS3: Btw , this is an old-incomplete draft , coming to life now.
PS4: Obliviously , boss is on leave, yipeeeeeeeee and product is released.